Madam Speaker, tonight we are here to discuss the government's foreign policy with respect to the Middle East and to follow up on a question I asked, which touched on both Canada's relationship with and support for Israel, as well as our interactions with Iran.
Israel is the one nation in the Middle East that most clearly aligns with our values and strategic interests. It is a fellow democracy. At a level of verbal attestation, there would be agreement from the official opposition and the government around the language of supporting Israel, but very clearly there would be some differences with respect to the particulars.
We believe that support for Israel and the Middle East's democracy, a free democracy with diversity, tolerance and citizenship for people who are not part of the majority groups, requires us to vote against one-sided UN resolutions that signal out Israel. It calls for us to recognize Israel's right to exist, to recognize Israel's capital and to do all we can to resist and stand against genocidal powers in the region that are opposing Israel.
When we asked questions of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the government's decision to abstain from a UN resolution that singled out Israel, to abstain as opposed to voting against it, we got an angry response from the member. He told us that apparently we had been told not to ask such questions. That demonstrates a fairly fundamental misunderstanding of what question period and parliamentary democracy are supposed to be about. I replied to that in my response in question period at that time.
However, I went on to speak about issues involving Iran and highlighted a real failure of the government to align its actions with its vote in the House. An opposition day motion called for the listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. That was supported by every present member of the government. I will note that there were some absences from the chamber when it came to vote on listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity, but those who were present on the government side voted in favour of the motion.
The motion that called for that immediate listing has, nonetheless, not led to any action. We are here almost four months later and the government has not done what it said it would do, which was to immediately list the IRGC. I wrote to the public safety minister about this matter and noted in my letter that perhaps he and I had a different definition of the word “immediate”.
As we look at Canada's foreign policy in the region, I will make a few key comments. Although we hear a lot in the media, and it is important that we do, about terrorist organizations like Daesh, the larger long-term strategic security threat comes from the Iranian state and its allies. It is fair to say that their operations are very sophisticated, very much contrary to our interests and values, and they require a strong response, including the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
We need to oppose this Iranian aggression. Therefore, I am calling on the government again to do what it voted to do, to follow through on its commitment finally and list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Will it do it, yes or no?